Asus 'service' update

This is just a small update to the on-going Asus UK saga. After my rant on Thursday night, two thngs happened on Friday. First when I called the Asus helpline again, and after going through the same routine as I mentioned in my last last post, I was given the telephone number for the repair center. Why I could not have been given this number on the Monday I do not know, but the call center operator claims that it should have been printed on my upload receipt (obviously it wasn't, and I am still unsure why none of the other operators I spoke to checked if I had the number, or even suggested that I call the repair center direct). The other 'happening' was a call back from the level 2 team. I don't know if my blog post and subsequent link on twitter mentioning @AsusUK (with a load of re-tweets, thanks tweeps) helped, but I suspect it may have. The rep from the level 2 team went over my case, and told me to be back in touch if I had not received my quotation by today (Monday), then I should e-mail back and they would ensure I received it.

The conversation with the repair center didn't really run smooth (even though the end result was fine). First I was informed that my quotation was still being finalised despite the fact that Asus had reported to me on the Monday that it was showing on their system as awaiting my response. How I was ever meant to respond to a quotation that was still being put together I don't know. When I inquired why it had taken so long to produce a quotation, I was told that it was actually quick for an Asus repair, as they normally take up to a month (a timescale that Asus have denied). I asked to check the contact details they had on file for me and was given my phone number and address, but no e-mail address. I then asked how I would receive the quotation and was told I would receive it through the post. As this saga has dragged on I requested to be sent it electronically, and was told that would be fine. Come Saturday morning I got the quotation, through the post. Not perfect, but at least they used a first class stamp!

Now I just need to wait for the housing association and contractors to agree to the repair.

Contractors, Asus, and typical Glasgow weather

It feels like I only post on here when I am moaning, but sometimes you just need to vent some anger.

My daughter bought a new Asus Laptop on my advice mid September this year. Although not top of the range, it cost her £800 from her student grant with the purpose of seeing her through her four year university course. The Laptop came with decent specs, a 750G HDD, an I7 CPU & 8G of RAM. The Laptop was delivered on a Monday, and after transferring files from her old Netbook she took it home.

Luckily (or un-luckily) my daughter is having some work done on her rented flat by the local housing association. The contractors on the job have pretty poor to say the least, which resulted in my daughters top floor flat being without roof tiles for a period of five weeks. On the Thursday morning she left for a day at university, leaving the Laptop closed on her living room coffee table, to return at around 4:30pm. Needless to say it was a typical wet Glasgow day, and sods law, her roof developed a leak. The water came through, ran along the ceiling and down her ceiling light onto the lid of her Laptop. If you are tech minded you know to remove the battery, and let the device dry out properly before attempting to switch it on, but in her panic my daughter broke the golden rule and switched it on to check if it was still working. The Asus logo flashed up and then it went dead. After calling home and following the correct procedure, giving the Laptop plenty time to dry out, the result would always be the same.

We contacted the housing association and wanting the situation resolved as soon as possible, put a proposal to them that would suit all parties. I suggested that we put the Laptop into a local approved Asus repair shop, and that a years insurance would be taken out to cover the now void Asus warranty. Everyone agreed and the Laptop was checked in for repair. Sadly because the device was so new to market, the motherboard (which was determined as the faulty part) was not generally available and the shop returned the Laptop still broken. At this point the contractors who were responsible for the leak, started acting like a bunch of arses. They decided that they were not happy with the repair shops assessment and asked that the Laptop be sent to their IT department for their own analysis. Obviously despite this additional delay we agreed, and the report came confirming the faulty motherboard. Sadly this was not all the report said, it went on to state that there was no evidence of any water damage and it would be a warranty covered repair. Now while I did not see the laptop sitting under the drip, I have seen the condition it left my daughters coffee table in, and there must have been a whole load of water that came in. It seemed to us that the contractors (Cameron Construction Group) were trying to wriggle out of their responsibility. Luckily the housing association agreed that the damage was caused by the ingression of water (it was four days old, and had it just stopped working we would have sent it back) and they agreed that we should send it to Asus for repair, and they would see good on the cost.

I called Asus, to be told that I had to fill out a form on the Asus UK website (which I did), the next day I received an e-mail back directing me to another form to fill in on the website (which I did), again the following day I received an e-mail telling me to fill in the original form again (which I did). Success! I received an e-mail the following day telling me the Laptop would be collected within 48 hours, and on the day of collection another e-mail detailing what time the courier would arrive. True to their word, the courier turned up in the allotted time frame and collected the Laptop on Monday the 15th of October. All was good in the world, the Laptop was going to be repaired, the housing association would foot the bill, and my daughter would smile again (not something that happens too often).

I waited till the following Monday before contacting Asus in regard of the repair and then the dark clouds of despair returned. I was informed that the repair centre had been in touch with me and were awaiting my decision regarding the repair (confirmation of the fault and the repair costs). I explained to the help desk operator that I had received no communication from the repair centre and was told that my case would be elevated to a level 2 case. I was then told that a member of the level 2 team would be in touch regarding my repair. After hearing nothing, I called back on the Wednesday to be told that the level 2 team could take up to 48 hours to be in touch, and that I should wait until four thirty before calling back. Obviously my phone it did not ringeth, and I duly called the Asus help desk again. This time I was told I would have to give the level 2 team until the morning. I expressed my displeasure at being told to wait again, and asked to be put through to the level 2 team, and was told that this was not possible, the level 2 team have to call you (maybe their phones don't get incoming calls?). On Thursday I once again called Asus UK only to be fobbed off again. I was told that I would again have to wait for a call from the level 2 team, and that the call might not come until Friday. It is now Thursday night and I have received no communication from Asus other than to tell me to wait whenever I call them to find out what is happening.

My daughters Laptop is lying in limbo in an Asus repair centre awaiting someone to say 'fix it'. While I appreciate that all companies have their own procedures, I would think that after this amount of time someone would just call or email the repair centre supplying my contact details, and ask them to get in touch with me ASAP. This is a technology company, surely a line of communication is not beyond them. Also remember that this is a PAID for repair, not a freebie, and someone will be making money from it (granted not a fortune, but a profit none the less).

When this is all finished and I eventually get the Laptop back working (it's been almost a month and a half since it last worked) I will no doubt send an email of complaint to Asus UK. If all goes according to form I will receive a reply around about the 4th of February 2014. 

Community

I like community, whether it be the local community where I live, or my work community at the pub, or as is often most described as community these days, the people who you spend time interacting with on-line. I get on well with most of the neighborhood where I live, to the extent that we lend each other tools etc the way you used to see in those dodgy sitcoms from the 70's. I also mix pretty well with the majority of punters and staff in the pub, even if the job itself is getting me down right now.

On-line communities can be a little bit different from the other kinds. You don't judge people on how they look, or what they wear, and they also tend to be a little more frank in their views than perhaps they would be in real life. I like to think (foolishly maybe) that on the whole, that people are more honest with their feelings and views in a semi autonomous situation. When I first switched to using Ubuntu over Windows, it was the on-line community at Ubuntu forums that really blew me away, until that point I had never been one to indulge in chat with people I didn't know from Adam. This situation repeated itself when i got my Hero, the Android community, and the guys at VillainROM specifically were the a perfect example of what a community should be, and how everyone tried to help each other out. Since then I have joined twitter, and Google + and my circle of on-line friends has grown. I also think friends is the right word to use, I may not have met many in person, but the amount of time we spend in each others company far out weighs the time I spend chatting to the guys I grew up with.

The circle of friends I have on-line tend to have one thing in common, a lovely for technology. Unlike some technology and gadgets is not my living (although I wish it was), but is instead my greatest hobby (or vice if you ask Angela). That means for me its about enjoyment, which is why the last few weeks has been so annoying. Since the week or two before the Apple announcement my timelines have been full of Apple this, and Apple that, S3 this and S3 that. Its been pretty mundane and boring to say the least. What's worse is the amount of people falling out and holding grudges. I even read a piece from a tech writer who won't be attending the big Android BBQ due to threatening comments as she bought an iPhone to go with all the Android handsets she owns. I have to this point never blocked anyone on-line, or even considered it. But I think I may be getting close.

Technology, and mobile phones have reached a point where there is very little they can't do. It seems to me its more about what suits the way you use them, and your pocket. I have an S2, first released about 18 months ago. Sure you can get quicker, bigger, better camera etc, but does any of that actually lessen what my handset can do? Of course not, the pics I take are more than fine, I can store all the content I want, and play anything I need to. I have a healthy developer base to keep the geek in me happy. With all that in mind is it really worth falling out over, is there anything I have missed that justifies sitting with veins popping out your neck because the panorama pic I can take but will never use is ever so slightly different than the one you can take and after showing it off never will either? Nope, didn't think so.

Everyone really needs to chill out, have a beer, visit your family and see what in your life is really worth all that energy. And remember this - its only a phone.